Supervisor:
Program of Study:
MSc, Pathology
Project Title:
Integrating Cancer Genetics and Immunology to Design Precision Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer
Research Summary:
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and has a very poor five-year survival rate.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment options. Our research focuses on using
pancreatic tumor genetics to predict how immune cells, specifically natural killer cells, invade
and interact with the tumor. Natural killer cells can recognize multiple features of tumor cells
due to their wide range of receptors. However, their effectiveness at killing cancer cells varies
widely depending on both tumor and immune cell properties. If we can classify a way to use
genetic signatures to predict natural killer cell invasion and function within the tumor, future
studies can focus on defining strategies for genetic and immunology-informed approaches to
precision medicine for pancreatic cancer patients.
Scholarships and/or Awards:
- Cancer Research Training Program (CRTP) Traineeship Award 2023
- 2023 Faculty of Medicine Graduate Studentship
- 2023 MOHCCN Health Informatics and Data Scientist Award
Location:
Dalhousie University